Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre forced to lay off hundreds of employees

The owners of Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre say the coronavirus pandemic is forcing them to lay off hundreds of employees while they suspend operations.

The theater says it letting all food-service employees go for at least three weeks and hope to hire them back.

The owner is working to help laid-off employees through the Small Business Association and is asking they apply for unemployment benefits during the difficult time.

Owner and executive producer Will Prather says he’s thankful for Southwest Florida’s support through it all.

“Got through nine-eleven. Survived the great recession, which was two years of real challenges,” Prather told WINK News. “Now, we’ve got the coronavirus. This has proven so far to be the most daunting challenge that we’ve been faced with. But we’re all in this together.”

They say most of the management team is accepting reduce salaries.

For now, Broadway Palm Theatre plans to reopen in April.

Anyone who bought tickets for a canceled show is expected to be credited to their account or will be issued a gift certificate.